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Diana Taurasi has had so many proud basketball moments in the state of Connecticut.

Sunday, the former UConn star has a chance to add another one.

Taurasi, the WNBA's all-time leading scorer, takes a 10-0 record in deciding league playoff games into the Mohegan Sun Arena when she and her Phoenix Mercury teammates visit the Connecticut Sun in the second round of the playoffs.

The fifth-seeded Mercury advanced with 79-69 victory over former UConn star Sue Bird and the Seattle Storm while the fourth-seeded Sun had a bye.

The winner of this game advances to a 3-of-5 semifinal against either the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx or the No. 2 Los Angeles Sparks.

The teams played three times in the regular season -- the Sun winning both games in Uncasville, Conn. while the Mercury romped in the Sept. 1 game in Phoenix behind 31 points and eight rebounds from league scoring leader Brittney Griner.

She will be matched up in this game against Jonquel Jones, the league rebounding leader who was voted most improved player in the league.

"It's a very tough matchup," said Connecticut coach Curt Miller, the league's coach of the year. "Phoenix made a concerted effort late in the year to play through Griner. She's a unique player that no one in the league sees, so you have to plan for Brittney Griner.

"You have to have a contingent plan, and a contingent upon contingent plan when she starts to hurt you. When you have two of the most elite players the game has ever seen in Taurasi and Griner, it poses a lot of problems, but they're not the only players that can hurt you."

Jones broke the WNBA rebounding record -- previously held by Tina Charles, then of the Sun, in 2010, finishing with 403 -- and she tied the league record of 20 double-doubles.

"Jonquel Jones is going to be a problem in this league for a long time," Taurasi said at this year's All-Star Game. "With her stature and the way she can handle the ball, shoot the ball, and work so easy on the court, I just think she's got a really bright future."

This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Sun, especially after losing star Chiney Ogwumike for the season before the year even started. But after a 1-5 start, Miller's team got hot -- especially at home, where it is 12-5.

The Mercury, 3-0 in single elimination games, finished the season 9-8 both home and on the road before winning their home playoff game.

The three-time WNBA champions (most recently in 2014) have a distinct experience edge in this game. While the Sun players have totaled 875 minutes and 302 points, Taurasi, a three-time champion, has 1,566 minutes and 1,009 points. She cleared the 1,000-point mark with her first basket of the second half of the first-round game.

New York has played in the WNBA Finals four times, yet the Liberty still do not have a title.

On Sunday, the Liberty take the first step this postseason with the hopes of raising a championship flag when they host the Washington Mystics in a second-round, single-elimination game at Madison Square Garden.

The winner advances to a best-of-five series against the Minnesota Lynx with Game 1 at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday.

The Mystics advanced out of the first-round by beating the Dallas Wings 86-76 on Wednesday. Elena Delle Donne and Emma Meesseman both compiled double-doubles in the victory.

Delle Donne, in only her sixth game back after suffering a thumb injury, recorded 25 points and 11 rebounds while Meesseman notched 16 points and 10 boards.

The Mystics twice had leads of 13 points against Dallas, but still had to hang on for the win in what turned out to be a physical battle. Washington dominated the glass and kept its composure when the game got chippy.

To beat the Liberty, the Mystics will have to continue to hit the boards and play with an edge, which is easier said than done.

"We got so many big offensive rebounds and I think that's a huge growth thing with our team," Washington head coach Mike Thibault told reporters after the game. "That's a sign that we embraced how the game was being played."

The Mystics will be challenged to repeat their dominance on the boards. The Liberty led the league in rebounds, averaging 38.7 a game.

And for the third straight season, New York led the WNBA in defensive field goal percentage, holding teams to 40.8 percent from the field for the year.

The Liberty won two of three during the regular season and both games at The Garden against the Mystics. The Liberty also have had a week off since closing out their regular season with a win against Dallas.

"We were fortunate to win that," New York head coach Bill Laimbeer said after his team made numerous errors down the stretch.

"We didn't play well," he added. "We played hard. We made some bad mental decisions. But we got our taste of mental blunders out of the way right now. If we do that in the playoffs we will lose."

The Liberty haven't lost since early August and have reeled off 10 straight wins with contributions from all facets of the team.

"We've been in all types of situations all season long," Tina Charles said. "These 10 wins, all of them have been different, but everyone has had an imprint on each game."

Among the players singled out by Charles for such contributions were Shavonte Zellous, Kia Vaughn and Epiphanny Prince.

Sunday's key matchup pits MVP candidate Charles against Delle Donne. Charles averaged just 11.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in the three meetings against the Mystics, down from her season averages of 19.7 and 9.4 rebounds.

Charles' might have a stronger supporting cast with Prince, who was named Comeback Plyer of the Year, and Sugar Rodgers named Sixth Woman of the Year.

PHOENIX (19 - 16) at CONNECTICUT (21 - 13) - 9/10/2017, 3:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 6-2 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 4-4 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

WASHINGTON (19 - 16) at NEW YORK (22 - 12) - 9/10/2017, 5:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 7-6 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 7-6 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
7 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

3:00 PMPHOENIX vs. CONNECTICUT
Phoenix is 2-11 ATS in its last 13 games when playing Connecticut
Phoenix is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Connecticut
Connecticut is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games at home
Connecticut is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Phoenix

5:00 PMWASHINGTON vs. NEW YORK
Washington is 7-18 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against New York
Washington is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games
New York is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New York's last 7 games when playing at home against Washington

NEW YORK (AP) Kristi Toliver scored 32 points, hitting a WNBA playoff-record nine 3-pointers, to lead the Washington Mystics to an 82-68 victory over the New York Liberty on Sunday

The Mystics will face Minnesota in the best-of-five semifinals, starting Tuesday night in Minneapolis. This is as far as the Mystics have gone in the playoffs since 2002 - the last time they made it out of the opening round of the postseason.

Washington found itself down 13 points in the first half before rallying to 41-35 at the break. Then Toliver took over. She scored 16 points in the third quarter, hitting all four of her 3-pointers in the period. She could only shrug and smile as the fourth one went in to give the Mystics a 57-46 advantage with 2:48 left in the third. She set the Mystics franchise record for points in a game by the end of the third quarter.

That 3-pointer, her eighth, also broke the previous WNBA record for 3-pointers made in a playoff game.

Tina Charles led the Liberty with 18 points. It's the second consecutive season that New York was a three-seed and lost its first postseason game.
MERCURY 88, SUN 83

Phoenix will play Los Angeles on Tuesday night in Game 1 of a best-of-five semfinal series.

Phoenix made 3-pointers on three straight possession late in the fourth quarter to take an 84-79 lead. Leilani Mitchell started it with an open shot from the wing for a 78-76 lead. Taurasi came off a screen for another 3, and Monique Currie capped it with 2:31 left.

Alyssa Thomas had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Sun, and Jonquel Jones added 19 points and 15 rebounds for Connecticut. Jones had 11 points and 12 rebounds in the first half to set a playoff franchise record for rebounds in a half.

Eyeing their fourth title in seven years, the Minnesota Lynx raced out to a 20-2 start this season before an up-and-down stretch run. They will be well-rested for the Semifinals once again, having completed the regular season on September 3, but the status of point guard Lindsay Whalen (out since August with a hand injury) remains a major question mark. On the other side is Washington, making its first Semifinals appearance in 15 years. The star-studded matchup of former MVPs Elena Delle Donne and Maya Moore will be must-see, while this year’s MVP favorite, Lynx center Sylvia Fowles, will look to put her own stamp on the series.

#5 MERCURY VS. #2 SPARKS: TUESDAY, 10 PM ET, ESPN2 |

L.A.’s quest to become the first WNBA team to repeat since the 2002 Sparks now goes through Phoenix, with a Mercury team making its ninth Semifinals appearance in 11 seasons on the other side. Former MVPs and Finals MVPs Candace Parker and Diana Taurasi step back into the spotlight having previously met in the 2009, 2013 and 2014 Playoffs. The matchup in the middle, meanwhile, will also be a thrill as Nneka Ogwumike and Brittney Griner clash.

Top six picks in the Week 1 of the Westgate SuperContest in Las Vegas:

6) Pittsburgh Steelers -8.5 , 706- L

5) Arizona Cardinals -2, 742- L

4) Atlanta Falcons -6.5, 819- L

3) Tennessee Titans -2.5, 839- L

2) Houston Texans -5, 863- L

1) Cincinnati Bengals -2.5, 866- L (Season record: 0-6)

*********************

Monday’s List of 13: Wrapping up an NFL Sunday

Chiefs 42, Patriots 27— Chiefs scored 28 second half points, ran up 537 yards, offsetting 139 penalty yards, as they made New England’s defense look slow. Only one of KC’s six TD drives was less than 75 yards- they had touchdown PLAYS of 75, 78 yards. Surprising result, but last three times New England lost in Week 1, they won the Super Bowl that year.

Bills 21, Jets 12— Buffalo sits alone atop AFC East, holding Jets to 38 rushing yards and 11 first downs. As far as team points over/unders go, my new hobby here, under is 18-7-1— only 7 of 26 teams exceeded their over/under points so far this week. Jets’ total was 15.5, 1.5 points lower than any other team this week.

Falcons 23, Bears 17— Chicago had ball on 10-yard line when game ended; two passes were either dropped/broken up inside 2-yard line in last three plays. Falcons coach Quinn was VERY happy when this game ended and he let it show— not sure happy is right word, maybe total relief after that Super Bowl and then an 0-4 preseason.

Jaguars 29, Texans 7— Upset of Day. Jacksonville ran ball for 155 yards, were +4 in turnovers, and held QB-challenged Houston to 203 yards. Savage was awful in first half; rookie QB Watson played second half, led one TD drive, but this was another very disappointing day in Houston.

Eagles 30, Redskins 17— Philly’s two TD drives were only 56-39 yards; each team scored a defensive TD, as Eagles snapped a 5-game skid against Washington. Iggles converted 8-14 on 3rd down, Redskins only 3-14, as Philly scored TD’s on two of first four drives, then kicked three FG’s on their last six drives.

Lions 35, Cardinals 23— On their first nine drives, Detroit had one TD, one FG, gaining total of 182 yards, but on their last three drives, Lions ran 17 plays for 149 yards and three TD’s. I have a question: is conditioning a factor early in the season? Teams haven’t played full games because coaches are scared of injuries, so when they have to play a full game in Week 1, are some teams in worse shape than others? Arizona’s defense looked very tired at the end.

Raiders 26, Titans 16— One of two games this week (Atl-Chi) with no turnovers. For the week so far, home teams are 7-6 vs spread; over is 3-10. Listening to TV Sunday, the consensus is that the defenses are ahead of offenses in the first couple weeks of the season. Offense takes more precision. Titans were 7-14 on 3rd down but scored only one TD, kicked three FG’s.

Ravens 20, Bengals 0— Baltimore led 3-0 at 2:00 warning of first half, then scored two TD’s in 0:24 span to break game open and lead 17-0 at half. Total yardage in lackluster game was 268-221 Baltimore; Ravens had 85 penalty yards, while Bengals turned ball over five times (-4). Flacco was 9-17/111 passing, after missing just about the whole summer with a bad back.

Steelers 21, Browns 18— Cleveland is now 1-18 in Week 1, with only win 13 years ago. Steelers blocked punt for TD on Browns’ first drive, then survived 144 penalty yards to win their opener. Pittsburgh ran 17 times for only 35 yards, which is not good; Big Ben targeted Brown 11 times, and he caught all 11 passes for 182 yards.
Rams 46, Colts 9— Indy has severe QB issues; if Andrew Luck can’t come back soon, and he hasn’t started practicing yet, they should sign Colin Kaepernick, who is way better than either Tolzien or Brissett. As for the Rams, this was a great day; Jared Goff looked like an NFL QB and the defense was dominant, even without Aaron Donald.
Packers 17, Seahawks 9— Game was scoreless until just before the half; this was 5th time in Seattle’s last nine road games that they scored 10 or less points. Rodgers was a magician on third down (9-16), as usual; Green Bay held Seahawks to 12 first downs as Seattle lost its 8th game in a row at Lambeau Field.
Panthers 23, 49ers 3— Hard to tell much about Carolina’s offense; their two TD drives were only 42-28 yards. Total yardage was 287-217; Panthers were 7-13 on third down- they didn’t score on any of their drives that started 75+ yards from the goal line, but scored two TD’s, kicked three FG’s on the other five drives that started less than 75 yards from the goal line.

Cowboys 19, Giants 3— Dallas outgained Giants 392-233; New York ran ball only 12 times for 35 yards, converted only 4-12 on third down- their average starting field position was their own 16 yard line. Under is now 8-1 in Giants’ last nine road games; they are 5-10-2 vs spread in last 17 games as a road underdog. Cowboys converted 8-15 on third down, had a 13-yard edge in average starting field position.

The WNBA semifinals will begin with Game 1’s on Tuesday with four teams looking to advance in the postseason. These series will be best-of-five matchups and so will the WNBA Finals.

Game 2’s will take place on Thursday before the clubs travel and play Game 3’s on Sunday.

If necessary, Game 4 and 5’s will take place the following week on Tuesday Sept. 19 and Thursday Sept. 21. ESPN2 will provide national coverage of the matchups.

(1) Minnesota vs. (6) Washington

-- Washington (20-16) defeated Dallas 86-76 in the first round as a 6 ½-point home favorite last Wednesday.

-- The Mystics followed up that victory with an impressive 82-68 win at New York this past Sunday as a six-point road underdog. Washington cashed money-line tickets at plus-210 (Bet $100 to win $210).

-- Including those results, Washington has gone 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS in its last five playoff contests.

-- The ‘under’ cashed in both of their first two playoff games this year.

-- The Mystics are 11-7 at home this season and 8-10 on the road, which includes the playoff results.

-- Against the Western Conference, Washington went 7-12 SU and 6-13 ATS.

-- Minnesota (27-7) finished the regular season with the best record in the WNBA and that record wasn’t surprising to the oddsmakers, who had the club favored in all but one of their games.

-- The Lynx went 15-2 SU and 8-9 ATS at home. The Lynx were a double-digit favorite 12 times and they went 5-7 ATS in those spots.

-- On the road, Minnesota was 12-5 SU and 10-7 ATS. It did struggle as a visitor down the stretch, going 3-3 SU and 2-4 ATS while the ‘under’ was 5-1.

-- Minnesota went 14-4 SU and 10-8 ATS versus the Eastern Conference this season and three of the losses took place on the road.

-- Minnesota and Washington met three times in the regular season and the Lynx won and covered all of the games rather easily. All of the results were decided by double digits (14, 17, 25) between the pair.

-- The ‘over’ went 2-1 and the Lynx scored 98, 93 and 86 points.

-- Since the 2013 playoffs, Minnesota has gone 21-8 in the postseason and it’s had a solid rate of covering with a 16-11-2 record versus the spread.

(2) Los Angeles vs. (5) Phoenix

-- Phoenix (20-16) started the postseason with a pair of single-elimination victories. The Mercury stifled Seattle 79-69 last Wednesday before capturing an 88-83 win over Connecticut.

-- Including those wins, the Mercury have won and covered their last five games entering this series.

-- Total bettors should note that the ‘under’ has gone 5-1 in the last six games for Phoenix.

-- The Mercury have gone 10-8 SU and 11-7 ATS on the road this season. At home, Phoenix has posted very similar numbers – 10-8 SU, 8-10 ATS.

-- Los Angeles (26-8) was a beast at the Staples Center during the regular season, going 17-1 and the club helped bettors with a 12-6 record (67%) versus the number as well. The one loss came by two points.

-- Clubs had trouble scoring at L.A. this season (70.2 PPG) and total bettors saw the ‘under’ go 14-4 in its home games.

-- As visitors, the Sparks showed some flaws as they went 10-7 both SU and ATS. They did close the season with three straight wins on the road and the offense posted 95, 115 and 82 points during that stretch.

-- The Sparks won and covered all three encounters against the Mercury this season and two of the wins came on the road. In the lone home meeting, Los Angeles blasted Phoenix 90-59 as a 7 ½-point favorite. The ‘under’ went 2-1.

-- Including those results, Los Angeles is 7-3 SU and 7-2-1 ATS in the last 10 head-to-head meetings against Phoenix.

-- During last year’s championship run, Los Angeles went 6-3 both SU and ATS. Future bettors should note that the WNBA hasn’t had a repeat champion since 2002 when the Sparks captured back-to-back titles.

That has to be the first time a team had two QB’s throw 30+ passes in the same game.

10) Georgia’s game in South Bend Saturday was the furthest north they’ve played since a game at Michigan in 1965. Georgia fans travelled; Doug Flutie said on TV that the crowd was 50-50 split between Georgia fans and the home team.

9) Friday night’s game with Milwaukee was first Cubs’ Friday home game ever played at nite.

8) Indians’ winning streak has vaulted them ahead of Houston for top seed in the American League; if playoffs started today, Cleveland would play the Wild Card winner, Astros-Red Sox would be the other AL playoff series.

7) Stephen Strasburg has now thrown 34 consecutive scoreless innings; I watched his start on Tuesday— looked like something was bothering him physically, but no one can score on him, and he gutted out his start and helped Washington win.

6) For whatever reason, a high school football team from Miami played at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas this past Friday night, but they couldn’t get home because of the storm. Now they’re stuck in Las Vegas, which is a good place to be stuck. Bishop Gorman helped out with getting them a place to stay until they can go home.

5) Kent State football coach Paul Haynes is back this week from medical leave he had taken to deal with prostate cancer. Hope he is feeling better.

4) People on social media were going nuts because Beth Mowins was doing play-by-play of the Chargers’ game. So what? She’s been doing games on ESPN for years, usually the noon college game on ESPN2. She does a fine job, nothing surprising about it.

3) Vikings 29, Saints 19— New Orleans was poor in the red zone; they kicked three FG’s that were shorter than 25 yards. Saints started the last three seasons 0-2/0-3/0-3— now they’re 0-1 and they’re playing New England on a short week Sunday.

2) Broncos 24, Chargers 21— Chargers roared back from 24-7 deficit, but missed FG on last play of game that would’ve sent game to OT. Rex Ryan was disappointing as an ESPN analyst.

Philip Rivers hasn’t missed a game since 2006, which means that he is on the downside of his career. If the Chargers aren’t any good with him, what will they be like when he leaves? There is no decent young QB on the Charger roster. You say Cardale Jones? I say Buffalo didn’t want him, which immediately makes him a suspect.

1) I’d much prefer having a Monday night NFL doubleheader every week to having a Thursday night game every week. Football wasn’t meant to be played on three days’ rest.

8:00 PMWASHINGTON vs. MINNESOTA
Washington is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing at home against Washington
Minnesota is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Washington

10:00 PMPHOENIX vs. LOS ANGELES
Phoenix is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
Phoenix is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 7 games when playing Phoenix
Los Angeles is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Phoeni

WASHINGTON (20 - 16) at MINNESOTA (27 - 7) - 9/12/2017, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 311-369 ATS (-94.9 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 1-12 ATS (-12.2 Units) as an underdog this season.
WASHINGTON is 48-71 ATS (-30.1 Units) in road games in August or September games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 6-13 ATS (-8.3 Units) against Western conference opponents this season.
WASHINGTON is 180-229 ATS (-71.9 Units) after a division game since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 6-13 ATS (-8.3 Units) in non-conference games this season.
WASHINGTON is 23-44 ATS (-25.4 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
WASHINGTON is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
MINNESOTA is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) in home games in August or September games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 11-2 ATS (+8.8 Units) in the conference finals since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 5-3 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 5-3 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

PHOENIX (20 - 16) at LOS ANGELES (26 - 8) - 9/12/2017, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 22-40 ATS (-22.0 Units) as a road underdog of 6.5 to 9 points since 1997.
PHOENIX is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) on Tuesday over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 22-12 ATS (+8.8 Units) in all games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 20-11 ATS (+7.9 Units) as a favorite this season.
LOS ANGELES is 12-5 ATS (+6.5 Units) in home games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 12-5 ATS (+6.5 Units) in a home game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 this season.
LOS ANGELES is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) in August or September games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders this season.
LOS ANGELES is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.
LOS ANGELES is 10-3 ATS (+6.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
LOS ANGELES is 12-5 ATS (+6.5 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 12-5 ATS (+6.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game after 15+ games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 16-8 ATS (+7.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game this season.
LOS ANGELES is 29-49 ATS (-24.9 Units) in home games on Tuesday since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 43-66 ATS (-29.6 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 7-2 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 7-3 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

LOS ANGELES (AP) Nneka Ogwumike scored 19 points to lead five starters in double figures, and the Los Angeles Sparks opened defense of their WNBA championship with a 79-66 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday night in Game 1 of the semifinals.

Leilani Mitchell led the Mercury with 19 points and made five 3-pointers, both career playoff highs. Brittney Griner added 18 points before fouling out with 4:44 left in the game. Diana Taurasi went 2 of 10 from the floor for a career playoff low six points.

After trailing much of the first half, the Sparks pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring Phoenix 14-6 to lead 56-48.

Things got testy with 28 seconds left in the period. Phoenix's Emma Cannon and the Sparks' Essence Carson were called for double technicals after exchanging words. Before that, Phoenix's Camille Little was called for a blocking foul, with Parker on the floor with her legs in the air and her arms protecting her face.

LYNX 101, MYSTICS 81

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Seimone Augustus scored 24 points and Sylvia Fowles added 18 to help the Lynx roll to a victory over the Mystics in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals.

Augustus made 11 of 17 shots and the Lynx looked plenty sharp after a week off and playing in an unfamiliar arena. The Lynx will play all of their playoff games at the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena after playing the regular season at Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild.

Elena Delle Donne had 17 points for the Mystics, who had a quick turnaround after beating the Liberty in New York on Sunday. After setting a playoff record with nine 3-pointers in the victory over New York on Sunday, Mystics guard Kristi Toliver scored just three points on 1-for-7 shooting.

— Green Bay covered just three of last 12 gamed when getting points on the road.

****************************
Thursday’s List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud……

13) Houston Texans played terribly in their opener; now news that LB Brian Cushing is out for 10 weeks due to a PED suspension and things just got a little more depressing for the Texans.

12) Apparently the Denver Broncos lost interest in drafting Dak Prescott last year when he missed the flight to come visit the team after the NFL Combine. Prescott showed up later that night but you only get one chance to make a first impression. Denver drafted Paxton Lynch instead, a subplot to Sunday’s game at Mile High Stadium.

11) Marlins-Brewers series, scheduled for Miami this weekend, has been moved to Miller Park in Milwaukee as hurricane cleanup efforts continue in south Florida.

There is still no power at the Marlins’ TV studio in Miami.

10) Tuesday night in Philly, Giancarlo Stanton threw out a runner at second base, a runner at third base and another at home plate— that would’ve been the game-winning run. That was the first time an outfielder has thrown out runners and 2B, 3B and home in the same game since Dale Murphy of the Braves did it in 1991, also in Philadelphia.

9) The All-Star break isn’t the halfway mark of the season anymore; next year, the Orioles will play 98 games before the All-Star break. With the season starting in late March now to allow for four more off days per team, the halfway point in terms of games will be in June.

8) Cubs and Cardinals won’t like this; the All-Star break is four days for 28 teams, but these two teams play on Thursday, July 19, making their All-Star break only three days. That game will be the first of seven games in 11 days between Cubs/Cardinals.

All-Star Game is in Washington next summer.

7) Indians-Twins are playing a two-game series in Puerto Rico April 17-18. Figures to be a little warmer in San Juan than Minneapolis in April.

6) San Francisco Giants will open on the road in Los Angeles next year; it’ll be the 9th year in a row the Giants are opening the season on the road.

5) This guy Rhys Hoskins looks like the real deal for the Phillies; he has plate discipline, takes his walks and his power definitely plays in the Phillies’ small home ballpark. He is a keeper.

4) Dodger reliever Brandon Morrow appeared in his 39th game Tuesday night; if he appears in one more game, he nets himself a $250,000 bonus.

3) Indians 5, Tigers 3— Cleveland won its 21st straight game, but Detroit’s catcher/manager were both tossed in the 3rd inning for bitching about balls/strikes with plate umpire Quinn Wolcott, who had been squeezing pitcher Buck Farmer on balls/strikes early in the game.

Soon after play resumed after the ejections, new catcher John Hicks completely missed catching a Farmer pitch— the ball drilled Wolcott near the collarbone.

Immediately, Indians’ TV guys insinuated Hicks had missed the ball on purpose, so it would hit Wolcott. Only Hicks knows for sure.

2) They listed the attendance in Cleveland Wednesday as 29,346; looked a lot more crowded than that— people were still waiting outside to get in the ballpark in the second inning.

Their crowd of 24,000+ Tuesday night was disappointing, considering how great the Indians have been playing, but it seemed like Wednesday, everyone took the afternoon off from work and came out to the ballpark.

1) By the way, as an A’s fan, congrats to the Indians on this great streak. 2002 was so much fun for me, as the A’s found a way to win 20 games in a row at just about this same point of the season. Hope it translates to postseason success in Cleveland.

To have a fighting chance, the Washington Mystics will need to find some answers for Game 2 on Thursday at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.

"They punched first," Mystics star Elena Delle Donne told the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune after the Lynx shot nearly 60 percent from the field. "Now we have to figure out a way to respond."

Minnesota was even better from long distance, making 70 percent of its 3-point attempts.

"We got bombarded," Washington coach Mike Thibault said. "Every time I turned around the ball was going through the net."

The Mystics tried double- and triple-teaming Minnesota center Sylvia Fowles in the first half.

It didn't work, as Fowles made 7 of 12 shots.

In the third quarter, the Lynx spread things around.

Seimone Augustus had 11 of her game-high 24 points in the third, and Renee Montgomery made three 3-pointers as the Lynx built a 28-point lead.

"Obviously, we made shots," Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said. "When you make shots, everything is good."

Minnesota made 13 straight baskets during a stretch that started midway through the second quarter and was 12-for-18 from the field during the third.

"We need to find a way to break their rhythm," Thibault said. "If they shoot like that, it will be a quick series."

To avoid an early exit, the Mystics will need more from Kristi Toliver.

Toliver, who scored 32 points and set a WNBA record with nine 3-pointers in Washington's second-round win at New York, was held to three points on 1-for-7 shooting.

Thibault found something else missing with his team: fun.

"You need a balance of being aggressive and playing really hard," the coach told The Washington Post, "but there's also a sense that you're playing with house money, too. Hey, we're here because we worked hard to get here, go have fun playing. Enjoy it. There's no need to be tight, the pressure is on them, not us. No one expects us to win. Except us."

Thibault asked his team to embrace their underdog role.

"Last night I saw a rested Minnesota team and a team, us, that was kind of -- I'll say, reactive instead of proactive," Thibault said Wednesday after practice. "It's not a good way to play a team like that. When you're the underdog, you've got to be more of a disruptor, and we didn't disrupt too much. We need to be more aggressive in our approach to the game, try to dictate a little bit more on the defensive end what we want them to do."

Despite being overwhelmed in Game 1, the Mystics know they can tip the series scales in Game 2.

"If we can get one game here in Minnesota before we go home -- it ups our chances," Washington guard Natasha Cloud told the Post. "That's our focus, to just go in and play like we have nothing to lose. Because we don't, we're the underdog, and that's always a good position to be in."

The look on Candace Parker's face early on Tuesday showed the pain she felt with every step as she tried to play with an injured ankle. Grimacing and muttering under her breath, Parker gutted it out and showed the heart of a lioness.

By the fourth quarter the grimace turned to a smile. That's what winning can do -- make the pain go away.

Champions overcome adversity -- that's what makes them champions, and a little luck.

Parker and the Los Angeles Sparks will hope their luck holds out when they host the Phoenix Mercury in Game 2 on Thursday.

On Tuesday, Los Angeles didn't need any luck to beat Phoenix in Game 1 of their best-of-5 series. After a sluggish first half, the Sparks clamped down on defense and pulled away for a 79-66 win.

"It went just like I thought it would -- you've got champions over there," Sparks coach Brian Agler told the Daily Breeze after the game. "You've got two players (Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi) that are going to be Hall of Famers and well-coached. It's going to be physical, that's going to be part of the nature of this series."

As expected, the game was physical with 26 fouls called on the Mercury and 20 on the Sparks. Three technical fouls also were called.

Unexpected was Parker's bad luck and freak injury. During the pregame shootaround, Los Angeles' leader rolled her ankle, placing her availability in immediate doubt. She went into the locker room and was heavily taped.

Typical of a champion, Parker didn't fall back and blame her injury for the Sparks' slow start. "I've been battle-tested my whole career with injuries. This was nothing new."

The focal point of the Sparks' offense also would play a crucial role in trying to contain Griner -- the regular-season scoring champ. No one stops Griner, you just try to limit the damage.

And Griner had her way in the first half, scoring 14 points. Along with Leilani Mitchell, the Mercury controlled the physical first quarter. Despite traveling more than 13 hours on Monday to get to Los Angeles from Connecticut after beating the Sun to advance to the semifinals, Phoenix looked the fresher of the two.

"I thought we fought hard," Mercury coach Sandy Brondello told the Arizona Republic. "It was a hard-fought game. For the most part, we executed. They just had too many options to score. We just have to play with a little more poise and get open."

The Sparks weathered the early storm and came out in the second half a different team.

"We thought they were real comfortable offensively so I felt we needed to up our intensity a bit, try to create some opportunity for our offense," Agler said. "I think we did create a couple turnovers, got layups, and sort of got going."

Sort of?

The defense turned the game around as the Sparks held the Mercury to six third-quarter points. In the middle was Defensive Player of the Year Alana Beard, who harassed Taurasi into a 2-for-10 shooting night and only six points -- a playoff career low for the league's all-time leading scorer.

"I think people are just now realizing how scary good she is," Parker said of Beard. "It's not necessarily all the things that show up in the stats sheet that makes you a good defender. It's all those intangible things that Alana does naturally."

And all those little things were on display against Taurasi.

"The way she competes every single day, every single possession. It's a little bit of a lost art," Taurasi told Swish Appeal. "There's no one you would pick to go into games, or try to win a playoff series or a championship game with other than Alana, because she's the glue that makes these teams really, really good. It's her grind and her grit that reflect at the end of the game."

Still, the key to the Sparks will be Parker's ankle. She has less than 48 hours to receive treatment and see some improvement

The WNBA semifinals began with Game 1’s on Tuesday with four teams looking to advance in the postseason. These series will be best-of-five matchups and so will the WNBA Finals.

Game 2’s will take place on Thursday before the clubs travel and play Game 3’s on Sunday.

If necessary, Game 4 and 5’s will take place the following week on Tuesday Sept. 19 and Thursday Sept. 21. ESPN2 will provide national coverage of the matchups.

(1) Minnesota vs. (6) Washington

-- Washington (20-16) defeated Dallas 86-76 in the first round as a 6 ½-point home favorite last Wednesday.

-- The Mystics followed up that victory with an impressive 82-68 win at New York this past Sunday as a six-point road underdog. Washington cashed money-line tickets at plus-210 (Bet $100 to win $210).

-- Including those results, Washington has gone 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS in its last five playoff contests.

-- The ‘under’ cashed in both of their first two playoff games this year.

-- The Mystics are 11-7 at home this season and 8-10 on the road, which includes the playoff results.

-- Against the Western Conference, Washington went 7-12 SU and 6-13 ATS.

-- Minnesota (27-7) finished the regular season with the best record in the WNBA and that record wasn’t surprising to the oddsmakers, who had the club favored in all but one of their games.

-- The Lynx went 15-2 SU and 8-9 ATS at home. The Lynx were a double-digit favorite 12 times and they went 5-7 ATS in those spots.

-- On the road, Minnesota was 12-5 SU and 10-7 ATS. It did struggle as a visitor down the stretch, going 3-3 SU and 2-4 ATS while the ‘under’ was 5-1.

-- Minnesota went 14-4 SU and 10-8 ATS versus the Eastern Conference this season and three of the losses took place on the road.

-- Minnesota and Washington met three times in the regular season and the Lynx won and covered all of the games rather easily. All of the results were decided by double digits (14, 17, 25) between the pair.

-- The ‘over’ went 2-1 and the Lynx scored 98, 93 and 86 points.

-- Since the 2013 playoffs, Minnesota has gone 21-8 in the postseason and it’s had a solid rate of covering with a 16-11-2 record versus the spread.

(2) Los Angeles vs. (5) Phoenix

-- Phoenix (20-16) started the postseason with a pair of single-elimination victories. The Mercury stifled Seattle 79-69 last Wednesday before capturing an 88-83 win over Connecticut.

-- Including those wins, the Mercury have won and covered their last five games entering this series.

-- Total bettors should note that the ‘under’ has gone 5-1 in the last six games for Phoenix.

-- The Mercury have gone 10-8 SU and 11-7 ATS on the road this season. At home, Phoenix has posted very similar numbers – 10-8 SU, 8-10 ATS.

-- Los Angeles (26-8) was a beast at the Staples Center during the regular season, going 17-1 and the club helped bettors with a 12-6 record (67%) versus the number as well. The one loss came by two points.

-- Clubs had trouble scoring at L.A. this season (70.2 PPG) and total bettors saw the ‘under’ go 14-4 in its home games.

-- As visitors, the Sparks showed some flaws as they went 10-7 both SU and ATS. They did close the season with three straight wins on the road and the offense posted 95, 115 and 82 points during that stretch.

-- The Sparks won and covered all three encounters against the Mercury this season and two of the wins came on the road. In the lone home meeting, Los Angeles blasted Phoenix 90-59 as a 7 ½-point favorite. The ‘under’ went 2-1.

-- Including those results, Los Angeles is 7-3 SU and 7-2-1 ATS in the last 10 head-to-head meetings against Phoenix.

-- During last year’s championship run, Los Angeles went 6-3 both SU and ATS. Future bettors should note that the WNBA hasn’t had a repeat champion since 2002 when the Sparks captured back-to-back titles.

WASHINGTON (20 - 17) at MINNESOTA (28 - 7) - 9/14/2017, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 311-370 ATS (-96.0 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 1-13 ATS (-13.3 Units) as an underdog this season.
WASHINGTON is 48-72 ATS (-31.2 Units) in road games in August or September games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 6-14 ATS (-9.4 Units) against Western conference opponents this season.
WASHINGTON is 6-14 ATS (-9.4 Units) in non-conference games this season.
WASHINGTON is 5-14 ATS (-10.4 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
WASHINGTON is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
MINNESOTA is 11-2 ATS (+8.8 Units) in home games in August or September games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 23-13 ATS (+8.7 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in the conference finals over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 26-14 ATS (+10.6 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 15-8 ATS (+6.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game this season.
MINNESOTA is 16-30 ATS (-17.0 Units) after playing 3 consecutive home games since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 5-4 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 6-3 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

PHOENIX (20 - 17) at LOS ANGELES (27 - 8) - 9/14/2017, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 22-41 ATS (-23.1 Units) as a road underdog of 6.5 to 9 points since 1997.
PHOENIX is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in the conference finals over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 23-12 ATS (+9.8 Units) in all games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 21-11 ATS (+8.9 Units) as a favorite this season.
LOS ANGELES is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) in home games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) in a home game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 this season.
LOS ANGELES is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) in August or September games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) after a division game this season.
LOS ANGELES is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders this season.
LOS ANGELES is 12-5 ATS (+6.5 Units) after a win by 10 points or more this season.
LOS ANGELES is 11-2 ATS (+8.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.
LOS ANGELES is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
LOS ANGELES is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15+ games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 17-9 ATS (+7.1 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game this season.
LOS ANGELES is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game after 15+ games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game this season.
PHOENIX is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in road games after a division game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 8-2 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 8-3 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

8:00 PMWASHINGTON vs. MINNESOTA
Washington is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 7 games when playing at home against Washington

10:00 PMPHOENIX vs. LOS ANGELES
Phoenix is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Phoenix's last 5 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games when playing at home against Phoenix

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Newly crowned MVP Sylvia Fowles scored 25 points to lead the Minnesota Lynx to a 93-83 victory over the Washington Mystics in Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals Thursday night.

Fowles made 12 of 16 shots and the Lynx shot 51 percent from the floor to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. Maya Moore had 22 points and five assists, and Rebekkah Brunson added 11 points and 10 rebounds in a back-and-forth game at the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena.

Elena Delle Donne and Kristi Toliver each scored 25 points for the Mystics. Washington led by two with five minutes to go, but was outscored 20-8 the rest of the way.

Game 3 is Sunday in Washington.

Fowles was given the MVP trophy about two hours before tipoff, accepting it in a tearful press conference as she reflected on 10 years in the league.

SPARKS 86, MERCURY 72

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) - Candace Parker had 24 points and 13 rebounds - showing no effects of an ankle injury - to help Los Angeles beat Phoenix in Game 2 of the WNBA semifinal series.

Parker injured her ankle in the warmups before the Sparks' Game 1 victory, but she still played in that game and returned to her usual form in Game 2 the Pyramid.

The defending champion Sparks have won nine games in a row and can sweep the best-of-five series Sunday in Arizona.

PHOENIX (AP) Candace Parker's driving layup with 2.9 seconds to play gave the Los Angeles Sparks an 89-87 win and three-game sweep of the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA semifinals Sunday.

Parker finished with 21 points and 11 assists.

Brittney Griner missed a shot as time expired and the Sparks celebrated with shouts and embraces in front of their bench.

Odyssey Sims scored 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Chelsea Gray added 14 points for the defending champion Sparks, who advanced to their second straight WNBA Finals and fifth overall. They will face Minnesota in a rematch of last year's championship, after the Lynx completed a sweep of Washington earlier Sunday.

Diana Taurasi had tied the game at 87 with a 3-pointer from the wing with 10.8 seconds left.